Chapter 13 #2
“I know. I’m sorry you have to go through that,” I said, shaking my head. “You should report him to the authorities.”
“Well…” She chuckled softly, lowering her voice. “I guess I kind of am doing it right now.”
It took me a beat to catch on—and then I smiled. Of course. She was casually venting to her boss’s boss.
“Thanks for telling me this,” I said sincerely. “Once things officially change hands, I promise I’ll investigate. I can’t stand any sort of discrimination. Especially from someone in charge.”
“Well, I thank you,” she said warmly. “You’re a breath of fresh air. You really are.”
Walking backward a few steps, she offered a shy grin before turning down the corridor. Her sneakers squeaked softly on the polished linoleum. For a moment, I simply stood and watched her disappear around the corner.
Maybe that was why Dr. Chan refused to order a second blood test earlier. Not out of medical disagreement—but out of intimidation—by a younger woman stepping into a role he likely believed belonged only to men like himself. The kind who treated authority as a birthright.
Since our confrontation, Dr. Chan hadn’t shown his face. He was likely hiding in some office, pretending to be busy. I didn’t have the luxury to care.
My heart was torn in half—trying to fix Dannie, while worrying about Kai.
Dannie’s problem, at least, I could treat with science.
Kai’s? That was something I couldn’t quantify.
The irony wasn’t lost on me. I was an OB-GYN—a fertility specialist. My work revolved around life, hope, creation. But now, all I could think about was how fragile those lives could be when things spiraled beyond control.
Still, I was a damn good doctor. Good enough to adapt. To lead. To take over a hospital overnight if I had to.
An emergency case conference was in order, so I called for one immediately.
Within the hour, seven of us gathered in a small meeting room that smelled faintly of antiseptic and stale coffee. The table was cluttered with laptops, patient files, and Dannie’s charts spread like a jigsaw puzzle waiting to be solved.
Dr. Chan sat stiffly at the far end, arms folded. I ignored the scowl he didn’t bother to hide.
“Thank you all for coming,” I began, skipping the introductions. “We’re here to discuss patient, Dannie Wu—he’s losing blood fast. There’s no sign of external bleeding. No blood in urine or stool. No vomiting. Which means it’s internal.”
A murmur rippled through the group.
“We’ll start with a CT scan,” I continued, “and if it fails to locate the bleed, we’ll proceed with an MRI. Broad-spectrum antibiotics have already been administered. We need to get his temperature down before we can safely transfuse two, possibly three bags of blood by the end of the day.”
I paused, scanning the room. “If his fever doesn’t drop, we’ll have to risk it anyway. He won’t survive another drop in his red cell count.”
Nurse Anu’s pen scratched furiously against her notepad. Every word landed with her, absorbed with the quiet focus of someone who genuinely cared.
I had personally requested her to take charge of Dannie’s ward. Of everyone I’d met, she alone seemed genuinely happy to work with me—not because of my title, but because she believed in what I was trying to do.
And right now, I needed allies more than ever.
Dr. Chan sat through the meeting like a begrudging teenager forced into a parent-teacher conference.
His arms were crossed, his expression carved in stone, offering the occasional huff but no useful input.
Fine by me. The less he said, the fewer interruptions I’d have to deal with.
For now, I was personally in charge of Dannie’s case—overseeing every decision, every test, every chart—until…
Until when?
My phone buzzed on the table. I unlocked it immediately.
Liam: Lincoln is in China.
My stomach dropped. The words blurred for a moment before I could even process them. Lincoln. China. The thought alone made my pulse quicken.
When? Why? Did you tell him about me?
I fired off my questions so quickly I almost hit send twice.
Three dots appeared. Then disappeared. Reappeared. Gone again.
A hard swallow scraped my throat. You can tell me, I typed, hoping to coax the truth out of him.
Still nothing.
A hollow ache spread in my chest. Lincoln leaving home terrified me.
My brother hadn’t been the same since Chloe.
Marriage, fatherhood… finding out he had a daughter after a decade of searching for the woman he loved—it had changed him.
He used to be at every event, every board meeting, every deal that crossed our family’s radar.
Now, his world revolved around them. Chloe and the kids.
Link never went anywhere.
Not unless it meant losing millions.
Or saving a life.
Liam hadn’t mentioned Lincoln’s whereabouts during our call earlier. He must have just found out. Otherwise, he’d have told me. The uncertainty gnawed at me like acid. I just needed one text, one sign that everything was fine.
But the screen stayed silent.
A freezing touch on my arm made me jump. Behind me sat Dannie, pale and frail in a wheelchair, being wheeled down the hall by Nurse Anu.
She wasn’t supposed to be doing porter’s work, but she’d taken this case so personally that I didn’t have the heart to stop her. Still, I’d need to speak with her later—make sure her dedication to him wasn’t compromising her other patients.
“Everything okay?” Dannie’s voice was weak, but his eyes searched mine.
A quick nod and a brittle smile were all I managed. “Yes, everything’s fine. Go get your scan done. I’ll be in your suite when you’re finished.”
A small gesture urged Anu to keep moving before I said something I shouldn’t. One more word and I would’ve cracked—everything ready to spill. My fears. My guilt.
But right now, nothing mattered more than saving his life.
Whatever was happening in Shanghai… it couldn’t be that bad.
Could it?